Chapter 96 (Fairy Tail Campaign): Death and Taxes
Short Summary Long Summary The narration looks at the ‘everyday’ heroes outside of the battlefield, and examines the home front. It describes the farmers working overtime to keep the Alliance fed, the citizens generously paying higher tax rates, and the volunteers feeding and providing for the refugees fleeing the Coalition. While life is hard for the refugees, they were still lucky to have survived, unlike so many others. Fiore’s citizens had come together like never before, with people instantly helping others out of kindness and duty. Hope was still to be found, and the everyday heroes constantly set an example to any person in dark times. This optimism was encouraged by the victories of the Allied Divisions. On the other hand, trouble is brewing. Since the beginning of the war, farmers in West Fiore had been under immense pressure to feed both the Allied troops and the refugees. At first they had been able to do it with little issue by quickly forming new, fertile fields. Unfortunately, with each harvest, the yield steadily decreased. While the restaurant owners were able to alleviate the issue with their own issued rations, it has come to the point where no crops were harvested. One veteran farmer exclaims that he doesn’t understand it, thinking he did everything right. He wonders why the land has given him nothing, asking what’s going on. All throughout West Fiore, which is primarily a region of farmers, no crops could be harvested. It cuts to Crocus, in the middle of a rainy day, where Jose and Ms. Valentine are being escorted. In normal circumstances, the Coalition prisoners are immediately transferred to Mercurius’ underground prison to protect the civilians. In Jose’s case, he’s heading to a civilian prison, since he lost his powers and is no longer a threat. Yuka and Toby are taking Ms. Valentine to her personal therapist. The latter tries a ‘bad cop’ with the prisoner, saying she’s lucky to have earned someone’s pity. Yuka tells his friend to calm down, saying the routine is meaningless as they’re just overseeing a transfer. He then clutches his chest at a phantom pain, prompting Toby to ask if he’s alright. Yuka states he is, adding he can still feel and see Gerhalv piercing his chest. Toby points out at least he’s okay, thanks to the amazing medics from the other worlds. At that point, the two hear shouting, and notice several other Defense members trying to calm an angry crowd down. A man yells that that can’t be all the food. The commander apologizes for not being able to do much, saying the lack of harvests has put a shortage on their rations. A woman yells that their children are starving, while another asks what good Wizards are if they can’t bring back rain to the west. The CO yells that they’re doing everything they can, and asks them to remain calm so as not to do anything reckless, adding that the leaders are aware of the situation. At that point, Yuka calls out, asking if everything’s alright. The CO tells him everything is under control, and it’s just frustrated people. A man yells that he bets the soldiers are well-fed, prompting the woman to beg them to share food with their children, adding that they didn’t ask for the war and deserve better. Yuka reveals he wasn’t even aware of the rations issue, and asks Toby if he was, earning a no. Jura walks up, saying that the crowd speaks the truth, and Defense itself is down to its last few remaining rations, the last batch having been already transported to the fighting Divisions. When Yuka asks what he’s doing there, Jura explains that he was out on patrol and had already encountered several crowds. He then asks the civilians to remain calm and gives his word as a Wizard Saint and Magic Council member that they’re doing everything they can to solve the issue. It’s explained that Jura and Makarov were the only Wizard Saints given leave to aid the Alliance. The 3 remaining Heavenly Kings of Ishgar are guarding the West against the possible threat of Alvarez. The other Wizard Saints are keeping the Magic Council running to maintain some order. Jura’s words calms the crowd down, and one man asks ‘Sir Jura’ to do whatever he can, pointing out that no one wants to starve. Jura offers understanding, and promises a solution soon, while inwardly wondering why Fiore is experiencing this unprecedented crop shortage. Once the crowd disperses, Ms. Valentine laughs at their situation, earning a frown from Jura. She gloats about how tragic it would be if the Alliance won all those fights just to starve to death. When Toby yells for her to stop taunting them, Inoichi Yamanaka walks up, telling the Wizard to remain calm and not stoop to the girl’s level. The Leaf Ninja introduces himself, and asks how working with him for a few days sounds to the agent. Getting no answer, Inoichi sighs and tells Jura he’ll take it from there, assuring the others he can keep Ms. Valentine in line. Jura thanks Inoichi and wishes him luck, earning a bow from the Ninja before he departs. Toby then asks where Jura is headed, and the Commander states he must inform Chitsujo about the situation on the street, wondering about their intentions if it gets out of control. It cuts to inside Mercurius, where Chitsujo gives a grim sigh at the disturbing situation, knowing the people ''will ''starve at this rate. Dragon nods at that, knowing that no matter how much he wants to believe it, his soldiers are still human and need food. The Good King thanks Jura for bringing this to him, and assures the Wizard they’re doing everything they can to come up with a solution. He then asks King Toma when the last drought like this was. The little man shrugs that it’s been twenty years since any drought, and it’s very strange since Crocus is getting plenty of rain. Jura looks confused at this, and Dragon explains that there is indeed a drought in the West Fiore farmland. On top of that, since so many businesses were lost in the Coalition’s conquest of East Fiore, only some grocery stores and weapons manufacturers are still around. Without them, the Alliance will run out of funds around the same time everyone starves to death. Chitsujo sighs that while his first instinct is to allocate funds and food from other worlds, moving away from the plan to have each world fund their own campaign could result in shortages in later campaigns. Dragon acknowledges the complexity, remembering how delicate it was just to get the Revolutionaries resources. Jura then asks what the cause of the situation could be, since they weren’t due for a drought. He can’t recall there ever being a drought that the wizards could not alter before, and is greatly concerned at that. Chitsujo admits that he has considered foul play. Jura recalls Ms. Valentine’s taunts, as if she knew something, but questions the plausibility due to her sanity. Chitsujo explains that he’s had some of Intelligence investigate, and they suspect a certain substance found all over Crocus. He then points to other concerning incidents, claiming that if this is anything to go on, it’s proof the Coalition is involved. Chitsujo grimly asks if Jura has heard of the recent homicides in the capital city. Jura pales at that, remembering the Fiore Army in the process of investigating. The Good King states there’s now been three deaths, having discovered a new body that day. When Jura suggests a lone homicidal maniac, Dragon asks why they would do anything with this kind of military presence. Chitsujo admits the possibility, pointing out these worlds can have maniacs bold and skilled enough to take advantage of this sort of chaos. Dragon sighs, and wonders why the Coalition would target civilians, since no soldier has been murdered. Deciding on investigation, Chitsujo asks which Stealth Subdivision is closest to Crocus. Jura bristles at that, saying there’s no need to involve them and asks for permission to let Defense figure out what’s going on and taking care of the problem. Naturally, the Commander is eager for chance of redemption for his Division after the disaster with Gremmy. Chitsujo smiles and appreciates the offer, but says he can’t allow Defense to take part. He states discretion is vital, having barely avoided internal crisis in the Prison Break thanks to Dragon’s intervention. Chitsujo explains that if word got out about infiltrators causing a drought and killing civilians, they’d have to deal with a major panic. In the interest of discretion, Chitsujo asks Dragon which Stealth Subdivision is closest. It cuts to Anko Mitarashi, dumplings in hand, running up to Nico Robin to offer them. The Captain stands up from the physically and mentally broken Coalition officer captured, with some soldiers looking at Robin in fear. Robin accepts the snack, and notices a Tontatta on Anko’s soldier, Kabu in this case. Robin smiles at Anko taking her advice to grow closer to more friends, with the Ninja chuckling as she asks how much closer they can get than the shoulder. Kabu simply states the scary lady gave him food, earning a frown from Anko. Robin giggles at the humor, thinking about it improving morale after what happened to Soifon, and remembering how Yoruichi reacted. Anko asks how their commander is handling it, adding that it must be hard to know a prized student is trapped with the enemy. Anko says these words out of jealousy; thinking on her own destroyed relationship with Orochimaru. While she still mostly wants him dead, she laments that he had a new chance to start over after helping beat Obito and Madara, and that Orochimaru’s lust for immortal power is so great. Robin gets them back on topic by saying Yoruichi was a lot more somber, but is still focused enough to lead the Division to the best of her abilities. The Pirate admits she wishes she could do something for her Commander, knowing how torturous it is to know someone you care about is suffering. The conversation is interrupted when a soldier brings a folder that was sent from HQ. Robin thanks the soldier as she takes it, and sees that it’s a dossier. She tells Anko that Chitsujo and Intelligence has ordered their Subdivision to come to Crocus. After Anko jokingly guesses they’re stopping another prison break, Robin informs her they’re tasked to investigate “weird happenings”, such as inconsistent weather leading to drought and food shortages. Anko frowns at that, saying she isn’t a meteorologist. Robin explains that Intelligence has done most of the science by discovering traces of Dance Powder. Anko chuckles at the stupid sounding name, but Robin grimly calls it serious business. Looking ashamed, Robin explains that it was used in Crocodile’s Operation Utopia to overthrow King Nefertari Cobra. In response to Anko’s raised eyebrow, Robin admits to having once been Baroque Works’ #2, helping to supervise the plan. Anko and Kabu react with shock, with Robin sadly saying she was once a terrible person. Anko tells her friend not to dwell in the past, and asks what Operation Utopia was all about. Robin explains that Alabasta is a desert island where rain is critical in supporting the people. Crocodile used Dance Power to start droughts, sending the kingdom into chaos. He left the capital untouched and led the populace to believe that the King was hoarding the rain for himself. It came to the point where civil war broke out; with Crocodile planning to step in once both sides destroyed themselves to form his own kingdom. The only thing that stopped this was Luffy and the Straw Hats’ timely intervention. Anko doesn’t judge Robin for any of this, and asks if they think Crocodile is trying a repeat performance with Fiore, calling it unimaginative on the Ex-Warlord’s part. Robin, knowing that Crocodile is not unimaginative, points out the different end-goal, and this is still assuming that it even is Crocodile behind this. Robin is most concerned about how Dance Powder was even smuggled in past Jura and Defense. Anko realizes their job is to find the smugglers. Robin states they have to see how deep this goes and stop the perpetrators before it’s too late. Anko, confident, says they can do it in no time. Robin explains that it’s not just Dance Power, and hands Anko the reports on the mysterious homicides amongst the Crocus civilians. Robin notes the possibility of a lone maniac, but it’s still their job to find the truth. Anko notes how important this is on a personal level for Robin, representing a chance to right her wrongs in Alabasta. Robin giggles at that, and doesn’t deny it, calling it fate she’s on this mission. She then orders Anko to get everyone ready so they can arrive in Crocus by tonight. The narration cuts to a group of shadows in Crocus, where two figures carry large bags over their soldiers. One is a lanky, effeminate looking man, with multi-color feathers decorating long red hair and face. His name is Toritsubasa, or Tori. The other is a large, bulky, eight-foot tall man with spiky black hair, cocky smirk in place. His name is Gekkame. A third voice calls out to them, saying it took long enough. Tori frowns at that, saying their comrade’s laziness never ceases to amaze him. Toragashira, a young-looking man with half-white half-black hair and red tribal tattoos on his face, lies next to his bag like a cat. Toragashira stretches his arms, saying he still gets the job down. Tori, looking disgusted, says Tora looks hideous sleeping, asking how he often he’s said not to nap on duty. Tora yawns at that, frowning as he sees how ‘pleasant’ his comrade is. Tora tells Gekkame that he’s going down, having gotten quite a haul. The large man smirks at that. Tora proclaims that he got 100,000 Jewels. Tori laughs at this as he gloats of his 150,000. With an arrogant scoff, Gekkame says he managed 350,000 Jewels. Smirking, Tora asked how discreet his comrade was, earning a frown from Gekkame. Annoyed, Tori groans as he guesses that Gekkame killed another taxpayer in a fit of rage, and looted their corpse, pointing out that this is the third time. Gekkame scowls at this, claiming he still got the job done with results that should please their master. Tori counters that Gekkame didn’t clean up the evidence, calling him a hideous buffoon in the process. Now, the Alliance Intelligence and Defense are all over on high alert. He knows how difficult their extortion assignment will be now, and yells that it’s all Gekkame’s fault, infuriating the big man. Tora sighs as he half-heartedly asks them to just get along. The two don’t heed his words and prepare to do battle. At that point, another voice tells the two to stop making fools of themselves, terrifying Tori and Gekkame. Ryūkaku reveals himself as a tall, well built, middle-aged looking man with azure-colored hair in a ponytail and beard, holding two bags of money. Tora smirks at his arrival and asks how he did. Ryūkaku ignores him if Tori and Gekkame were really going to fight and give away their position. Gekkame shakes in fear at the reprimand, and Ryūkaku adds that his anger benefits no one, ordering both men to calm down. He reminds them they are undercover, and their discovery would stop their taking money. That would mean they would have to take longer in completing the mission, and their master Yoku greatly values punctuality. Tora smirks as he recalls Yoku always saying ‘Time is Money”, and how anyone who can’t follow that is on the Dark Circle’s bad side, all while miming a blade through the neck. When Tora asks how much he got, Ryūkaku states 1 Million Jewels, earning gasps from Tori and Gekkame, and praise from Tora. Ryūkaku admits Tori was right that Gekkame’s actions have made discrete operations difficult, saying they’ll have to collect taxes one at a time and not go out as a group. Gekkame, looking ashamed, apologizes that he got carried away when they resisted giving him taxes. Ryūkaku dismissively waves his hand, reminding the others they’re more than capable of escaping if things get out of hand. Having said that, he doesn’t expect things to reach that point. Tora agrees with that, saying it will be a simple thing to rough up the Alliance if they get in their way. Ryūkaku shoots down that idea, saying their first objective is extorting money, and that anything else is secondary. Tora points out the Alliance won’t see it that way, now that Gekkame has killed some ‘oh-so-precious’ civilians, which they won’t let stand. Ryūkaku admits he’s expecting a response soon, but sees no need to concern themselves while they fulfill Yoku’s tax-collecting mission. Tora counters that the Alliance won’t just let them go. Ryūkaku says it’s their choice to interfere with their work, but states the Alliance should be ready to live with the consequences of getting in their way. He then gives the order to not engage any Alliance member, and proceed as normal so as not to put their inside man in danger, calling him the operation’s lynchpin. Tora admits he doesn’t like the idea of using the inside man, asking if they can trust him. When Tori adds that the man is hideous, Tora deadpans that only Konton, Midarana, Yoku, and himself are hideous to him. Ryūkaku admits he hates using ‘otherworld trash’, but says these orders were handed down by Konton and entrusted to them by Yoku, reminding them their Lord’s orders must be executed to the last letter. Ryūkaku points out the inside man has been useful in creating a smooth operation, so they shall keep him for the time being. Tora lays down for a nap, saying the others can decide on assignments. Ryūkaku heads out to give their mole his share, and tells Tori to go out tomorrow for extortion. He then orders Gekkame to stay there until he’s proven that he can extort without losing his temper, asking if he ever considered that the dead are of no monetary value. When Gekkame gives another apology, Ryūkaku nods and tells him to watch the safe-house. He then orders Tori not to fall into the habit, knowing how he is with ‘ugly people’. The narrative then explains that these are Rakuen's Chief Tax Collectors, and the four members of Yoku’s Court, direct subordinates to one of the Nine Dark Circles themselves. The chapter ends by showing Robin and Anko arriving at Crocus, their subdivision close behind. Anko admits she didn’t think they’d be back before the campaign ended. Robin then gives the word to head for Crocus, sure Chitsujo and Dragon want to see them immediately. Omake: Kiba plays ? Part 1 Kiba asks Naruto what’s going on, while Akamaru curiously looks at a screen. Smiling, Naruto asks if Kiba remembers a prank he pulled that got Naruto in trouble. With a nervous chuckle, Kiba asks isn’t that in the past. Still smiling, Naruto says it’s all behind them, and says he’ll let Kiba play a game he and the Acts tried to show the Inuzuka he isn’t bothered. Kiba looks at Five Nights at Freddy’s and calls it creepy. Naruto says it’s harmless as Kiba sees that it’s Night 2. Naruto, over-friendly smile still in place, says he figured it was right up his alley before telling the two to have fun and leaving in a flash. Kiba then starts the game, admitting it still looks creepy, and wondering if he can move. The phone rings, and the voice gives a hello, earning a friendly yip from Akamaru. When the voice seems surprised the player ‘made it’ to Night 2, Kiba immediately feels foreboding at the choice of words. When the voice sees Freddy and the others are getting more active, Kiba yells as he wonders who Freddy is. The voice then suggests checking the cameras, prompting Kiba to frantically browse through them. Kiba also observes the crappy designs, specifically the blind spot right outside his door. When the voice advise use of the door lights, and saying there’s only a few seconds to react, Kiba screams as he realizes his life is in danger. When the voice backtracks and claims there’s no danger, Kiba calls bull. The voice advises Kiba to check on the Pirate Cove, saying someone there gets more active without the cameras watching, earning a whine from Akamaru. Kiba mutters about Naruto tricking him. The voice states he’s sure everything is under control, despite Kiba shaking his head, and hangs up. Kiba just moans in horror, wondering what he just agreed to. Appearing Characters Yuka Suzuki Toby Horhorta Ms. Valentine Jose Porla Jura Neekis Inoichi Yamanaka Chitsujo Monkey D. Dragon Toma E. Fiore Nico Robin Anko Mitarashi Kabu Toritsubasa Gekkame Toragashira Ryūkaku Omake: Kiba Inuzuka Akamaru Naruto Uzumaki Previous/Next Chapters Previous Chapter: Chapter 95 (Fairy Tail Campaign): Past, Present, and Future Next Chapter: Chapter 97 (Fairy Tail Campaign): Glissade to the Start Category:Taxes Arc Category:Chapters Category:Fairy Tail Campaign